Improved clothes-brier



. i Stirn ed tang @ghi/imitly IMPRovED CLOTHES-Darrin.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AsHER M. GURLEY, of Waterville, in the county of Oneida, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in Clothes-Driers; and 'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1` is'a front view of the standard, cap, and tray, the series oi' arms being removed.

Figure 2 is a side sectional view, showingthe position of the' arms when resting in the tray, as well as when extended for use.

Figure 3 is a top view of the cap. p

Figure 4 isa plan view, with the top of the cap removed, and showing how theend of the arms t in the recesses of the notched plate. Y

The object of my invention is to construct a clothesdrier that is compact in for1n,and one that will occupy but little space when not in use, and still so arranged,y that with the greatest facility its arms can readily be extended and firmly held in position, and this, too,with out the assistance of the ordinary brace-rods, or any requivalent device.

My drier77 is entirely portable, andcan be used either within a room or in the yard, simply requiring a wall ox some other firm support, to which the standard or board can be attached, to insure its successful operation.

A clothes-drier combining the advantages that practical experience has shown mine possesses, viz, cheap,- ness, durability, strength, portability, and at the same time so arranged 'that it can, with the greatest readiness, be prepared for use, has long been considered a household want, and indeed almost a domestic necessity; and although many attempts have been essayed to meet said want, none have, as yet, proven satisfactory. They have all failed to exhibit that-simplicity and practical utility, either rin their construction or operation, that is necesssary to insure for them any degree of general favor. You never meet with them in use, or scarcely ever even find them offered forsale in the market. v

In most of the driers oi'. the class to which my invention belongs, metallic bracing or guide-rods are used, which are constantly liable to be bent by the weight of the clothes on the arms, .and the consequent strain on the rod, and when the rod is once bent the drier can no longer be successfully used. In others, the ends of the rods, and at the point where the greatest strain is to be borne, are cut away, so as to form shoulders to iit the recesses in the cap, or, in some instances, the arms are constructed with slots extending nearly their entire length. A moments reflection will. clearly show how either plan must necessarily detract from the strength and value of the drier, as they weaken the same exactly at the point Where strength is most desirable.

In my drier all bracing-rods are dispensed with. The rods are solid, not slotted; neither are they weakened at their point of contact with` the cap by having their surface cut away so as to form bearing-shoulders.

The nature of my invention consistsfincasting the cap with a semicircular notched or ratched plate on its under surface. The recesses in said plate are ta pering in form, and terminate in a sharp or acute angle. These recesses are intended to receive the wedgeshaped end Hof the tapering arm when the drier is extended for use. The series of arms are entirely unconnected by rod or other device, and each is provided with a notch, cut at such a point, that when the wedgeshaped end of the arm is in position in one of the recesses, the notch fits in the under surfacerof one of the series of slots cast in the curved front of the cap. By means of the semicircular curved plate, the notched tapering arms, and the series of slots in the curved front of the cap, when the drier is prepared for use, each arm is securely and rigidly held, and all tendency to sway orlateral movement is securely guarded against. The cap and semicircular foot-tray are cast with eyes, by means of which they can be readily screwed or bolted to a suitable standard. v

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I -will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the standard, and consists of a dat, plain sur` face, and may be made of wood or any other suitable material. The sides of the standard may be parallel, or, between the bearing of the lcap and tray, they maybe `cut away, as shown in iig. l. The latter plan will lessen the weight of the drier without in any perceptible degree diminishing the strength of the same.

The upper edge of the standard is provided with an Vopening or hole, a, by means of which it can be securely screwed or bolted to the wall of a room or other desired support.

B is a semicircular metallic cap, and is cast with flanges or eyes b b, by means of which it can be securely fastened to the standard. i

The cap, B, is provided with a series of slots or open ings, extending from nearthe centre of the upper sur- 4face of the cap to near the lower or outer edge of the same.

The portion of the cap, B, in which the slots are left is circular in form, as clearly shown at b', fig. 2.

The cap, B, is also cast with a semicircular notched or ratchet-plate O on its under or inner surface.

The number of notches or recesses c c in this plate correspond exactly with the number of the slots iu` the cap, B.

I) is a semicircular metallic tray, and is cast with eyes d d, by means of which it is securely attached to the standard A.

This tray D'is attached to the standard at 'such a point as to leave the bottom of the same ush with the lower edge of the standard, and thus a'ord a broad base for the drierto 'rest on, as clearly shown in fig. 2, where d represents the floor.

This tray D furnishes a receptacle for the arms or rods when not in use, and retains the same in a compact form, causing the drier to occupy but little room.

E E is a series of arms or rods, and are made of wood or any other suitable material. These arms are tapering in form, and are independent, being entirely disconnected, one from the other. At their rear or widest end they are Wedge-shaped, sov as to iit exactly the sharp angle of the notch or recess c of the plate O, as clearly shown in fig. 4.

The arms E E are each provided with a notch, e, which rests, when the arms are extended, on the lower end of the slot b of the cap, B.

When not in use the entire series of arms are in the position shown in yellow, in 'g. 2.

The operation is as follows:

To prepare the drier for use, you simply have to secure the same to a Wall o r other support, by passing a screw or bolt through the opening a. Then elevate witnesses.

the arms byv raising the same through vthe slot b until the notch e reaches the lowr edge of the slot. Then let the arm fall, and it will occupy a position at right angles to the standard A, as clearly shown in fig. 2, where, by means of its wedged end resting in the recess c, and the notch e resting in the slot b, and the arm having its bearing against' the flat surface of the cap, B, the entire series of arm's are firmly and securel held; and should it, for any reason, become desirable to removeone or more of thesame, it can readily be done Without interfering 'with the remainder of the series.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The standard' A, cap, B, tray D, and the series of tapering-arms E E, when said cap is cast with slots b b and a semicircular notched plate, O, the Whole being so constructed and arranged as to operate substantially as described, as and for the purpose specified. p In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing ASHER M. GURLEY. Witnesses:

M. BRIDGE,

W. M. PALMER. 

